Today was my second day away from home and although I took my recipe book I felt I had more freedom to whip up meals based on the ingredients I had available so I took the opportunity to enjoy what I call a Turkish breakfast. Turkish, as it reminds me of adventures past, when backpacking in Istanbul, taking breakfast on a rooftop hostel with sweeping panoramas of Hagia Sofia, the glistening Bosphorous, and other minarets of the great city. My breakfast, with the English addition of freshly plucked asparagus, was eggs, olives, cucumber and tomatoes, all fresh and juicy, a wonderful mix of flavours, both satisfying and magical as it flew me away on my magic carpet back to my backpacker memories…
Sitting at the end of my mum’s garden, with he early morning sunshine, by our wonderfully green frog pond and watching the birds go crazy, zipping around and then diving into this bush I can only call “the bird bush”. It was such a wonderful moment, the sun hot, the chirrups of the birds filling the air, fox glove towers swaying in the breeze….
My Turkish delight kept me full until after 1pm when I returned back from a day visit to my grandma, it was time for lunch before heading back on the long journey to Oxford. I followed the recipe for perfect grilled chicken, butterflying a breast and marinating it in lemon, oil and herbs before frying. I also cooked bacon, chopped it up and mixed it in with a red pepper and cauliflower-rice, simply grated cauliflower, all lightly fried in the residual chicken fat and served up in the sunshine once more – a tasty Mediterranean treat.
Despite being Sunday and despite the engineering works and heat of the city, I managed to make good connections coming back through London, and not a hunger pang in sight! I braved another bottle of water in my bag, keeping a firm eye on the lid, no more spillages for me!
Back in Oxford for 530 and I was straight into my kitchen, excited to be home with my ingredients and pots and pans. The Tesco delivery man had been and there were packs of meats and veg all over our surfaces so I carefully packed away that which wouldn’t be needed for a couple of days. Then it was on with much marinating… Beef jerky strips in the fridge for an hour, now in the oven, kale crisps baked , Thai nut mix roasted. Dinner tonight was supposed to be broccoli and beef but the delivery man forgot the broccoli, so that’s rolled over to tomorrow. I took the opportunity to whip up my favourite dish so far- the Pad Thai from Friday night, this time with all the right ingredients, and with big juicy prawns. It was delicious. As we’d both had big days we were unable to keep any back for lunch tomorrow so I plan to get up early and make another batch with salmon (it has to defrost overnight first!).
So we’re into the second week and I am feeling very optimistic. I seem to have discovered a passion I never realised I have for cooking – I am loving mixing sauces and marinades, creating nut mixes and veggie crisps and learning how to blend spices and use alternative oils and pastes. I’m not as hungry between meals, I’m eating way more vegetables than I have in my life, I have plenty of energy AND above all I seem to be experiencing an increase in mental clarity.
AND I’m really enjoying eating my meals, being present in the moment, whether back in Oxford, surrounded by my pots and pans, or a the bottom of my mum’s garden, breakfasting with the birds…
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